A theme park with attractions based on TV agony uncle Jeremy Kyle and Good Morning Britain’s Piers Morgan could be coming to Kent.
The £3.2bn London Resort hopes to be one of Britain’s most-visited attractions and bosses have announced a deal with ITV to turn the broadcaster’s hits into theme park rides and experiences.
The “nationally-significant” development, near Ebbsfleet on the Thames Estuary, was billed as a Disneyland-style park including bars, nightclubs, hotels and conference venues, but has been hit by setbacks and delays.
Backers had hoped the resort will attract up to 50,000 tourists a day, in part due to its proximity to London – just 40 minutes away by train.
Yet despite the uncertainty, ITV said it was thrilled to link up with the development, which could produce rollercoasters based on favourites like Coronation Street and Emmerdale. The channel’s children’s programmes are also believed to be of interest.
Meanwhile, the BBC’s commercial arm is also said to have held discussions with resort chiefs.
The deal comes following American movie giant Paramount’s decision to pull out of the development last year and after its planned opening in 2019 was pushed back by at least five years.
Steve Green, from ITV Studios, said: “We are thrilled to be on board with this world-class project, which will offer fans a whole new way to experience our brand.
“ITV Studios creates more than TV, building global franchises loved by generations of families, and we look forward to seeing one of our biggest global brands brought to life on such a grand scale right here in the UK.”
Steve Norris, chairman of the developers London Resort Company Holdings, said: “Globally recognised for its rich heritage of creating some of the most popular and entertaining content on the small screen, ITV has properties which have never been transformed into truly unique experiences.”
UPDATE: ITV Studios said on Tuesday 30 April that its deal with the London Resort will focus solely on its children’s entertainment brands, not current affairs stars such as Kyle and Morgan.